Minestrone Soup

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 2 medium carrots, diced into 1 cm pieces
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes, or 4 ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced into 1 cm pieces
• 2 small zucchini (tori), diced
• 150 g green beans, cut into 2 cm pieces
• 240 g cooked or tinned white kidney beans (cannellini), drained and rinsed
• 1.5 l vegetable stock or water
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 bay leaf
• 100 g small pasta such as macaroni or ditalini
• 100 g spinach, roughly chopped
• 1½ tsp salt, or to taste
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 30 g Parmesan or any hard cheese, grated, to serve
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley or basil, chopped, to garnish

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery with a pinch of the salt and cook, stirring often, for 7 minutes until the onion is soft and translucent but not browned.
2. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the paste darkens slightly and smells sweet.
3. Add the chopped tomatoes, potatoes, oregano, dried basil and bay leaf. Stir well and cook for 3 minutes so the tomatoes start to break down.
4. Pour in the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover partly and simmer for 12 minutes, until the potatoes are just starting to soften.
5. Add the zucchini, green beans and white beans. Simmer for 5 minutes more.
6. Stir in the pasta and simmer uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so it does not stick, until the pasta is tender with a slight bite.
7. Add the spinach, the remaining salt and the pepper. Cook for 2 minutes until the spinach wilts. Remove the bay leaf, taste and adjust the seasoning.
8. Rest the soup off the heat for 5 minutes to thicken slightly. Ladle into bowls and top with grated cheese, herbs and a drizzle of olive oil.

Tips

• Cut all the vegetables to a similar small size so they cook evenly and fit on a spoon together.
• Add vegetables in order of cooking time: potatoes first, then zucchini and beans, and spinach last, so nothing turns mushy.
• If you have a Parmesan rind, drop it in with the stock for extra savoury depth and remove it before serving.
• The pasta keeps absorbing liquid, so add a splash of hot water when reheating.